Mediterranean gull
Larus melanocephalus
Graham Clarkson · Pier Forecourt
Key facts in one look
- Diet
- Insects, fish, molluscs, earthworms, seeds, scraps
- Status in Georgia
- Migrant, winter visitor
- Recorded regions
- Adjara; Abkhazia
- Size
- About 39 cm, wingspan up to 98 cm
- Habitat
- Sea coast, estuaries, harbours, lagoons
- Family
- Laridae
- Conservation
- Global LC (2019); Georgia LC (2024)
Adult Mediterranean gulls have a very pale grey back and wings, and wingtips that are entirely white, with no black markings. In breeding plumage the black hood extends down the nape, with white crescents around the eye. The bill is dark red with a black band near the tip. In winter the hood disappears and only a dusky "mask" remains around the eye. It is about 39 cm long with a wingspan of up to 98 cm. It is harmless to people. If you see a gull on the seashore whose wings look white right to the tips in flight, it is most likely a Mediterranean gull. The 2024 Georgian checklist lists it as a migrant and winter visitor. In Georgia it is seen most often in March and April, with a few records in summer, autumn and December. Nearly all records come from the Black Sea coast, from Adjara and Abkhazia. It is rated Least Concern (LC) both globally and in Georgia.
Identification
Mediterranean gull: how to identify it
In breeding plumage it is easy to recognise by its black hood, white eye crescents and pure white wingtips. In winter the head is white with a dusky mask around the eye. The bill is stout and dark red, and the legs are long and dark.
Adults have a very pale grey back and wings, and the primaries are entirely white with no black tips. In breeding plumage the black hood extends down the nape, with white crescents above and below the eye.
It is slightly larger and bulkier than the black-headed gull, with a heavier bill and longer, darker legs. The bill is dark red with a black band near the tip. It is about 39 cm long with a wingspan of up to 98 cm.
It takes two years to reach adult plumage. First-year birds have a black band at the tip of the tail and more black on the upperwing, but pale underwings. The call is a nasal "yeah" or "kau".
Colour
Swatches are illustrative. Do not identify a species by colour alone.
Often confused with
It breeds at lagoons, estuaries and coastal saltmarshes, and also on large steppe lakes and marshes. It nests near water in sparse vegetation: on floodplains, fields and islands. Outside the breeding season it becomes entirely coastal, using estuaries, harbours, saline lagoons and other sheltered waters. It is rarely seen at sea far from the coast. In Georgia nearly all records come from the Black Sea coast. In Adjara it is found at Batumi, in the Chorokhi Delta, and on the coast at Khelvachauri and Kobuleti, and in Abkhazia at Gagra, Gantiadi, Pitsunda and Sukhumi. There are single records from around Poti, in Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti and Guria. Inland it has been seen a few times in Shida Kartli, at Nadarbazevi Lake.
The Mediterranean gull map combines public iNaturalist observations. Regions are taken from the records-by-region table, and the status column separates regions with enough records from regions with too few records. Record counts reflect observation effort rather than population density. Two regions have enough records: Adjara and Abkhazia.
Data: Reptiles.ge + iNaturalist · Methodology
- Field observation
- Several records in one spot
- Photo record
- Region with records
It is an omnivore. In the breeding season it eats mainly land and aquatic insects, snails, some fish and rodents. From the colony it may fly up to 80 km to feed on inland grassland. In winter it takes marine fish, molluscs, beetles and grasshoppers, earthworms, berries and seeds such as barley and wheat, as well as scraps.
Most populations are fully migratory and travel along coastlines between breeding and wintering areas. It returns to breeding colonies from late February to early April, starts breeding from May, and begins the autumn migration from late June. It winters on Mediterranean and Atlantic coasts. In winter it is highly gregarious, feeding and roosting in flocks. It breeds in colonies, usually of up to 1,000 pairs, and sometimes as single pairs in colonies of other species. It often nests near Sandwich terns or mixes with black-headed gulls. The nest is a shallow scrape on the ground among sparse vegetation, and neighbouring nests are about 60 cm apart. It is very noisy at the colony.
Globally the Mediterranean gull is rated Least Concern (LC, 2019). A 2012 estimate puts the number of mature birds at 236,000–656,000, with 118,000–328,000 pairs in Europe. Numbers are thought to be declining, in Europe by less than 25% over 30 years. The main threats are predation at colonies, including egg collecting by people, hunting of adults at colonies and on migration, and disturbance by tourists, which makes birds desert their nests. In Georgia it is rated Least Concern (LC, 2024).
Related guides
Continue with related pages
Yes. The 2024 Georgian checklist lists it as a migrant and winter visitor. It is seen most often in March and April.
On the Black Sea coast: at Batumi, in the Chorokhi Delta, at Kobuleti, Gagra, Pitsunda and Sukhumi. There are single records from Poti and Nadarbazevi Lake.
The Mediterranean gull has pure white wingtips with no black, and in breeding plumage its hood is truly black and reaches down the nape, with white crescents around the eye. It is slightly larger and bulkier, with a heavier bill and longer, darker legs.
It is about 39 cm long with a wingspan of up to 98 cm, slightly larger than a black-headed gull.
It is an omnivore: insects, fish, molluscs, snails, earthworms, rodents, berries and seeds, as well as scraps.
It is harmless to people. It is rated Least Concern (LC) both globally and in Georgia, though numbers are thought to be declining. Egg collecting, hunting and disturbance at colonies threaten it. If you find an injured bird, call 112 or the environmental protection service.
References
What this profile is based on
Species profiles are compiled from peer-reviewed literature and established biodiversity databases, and are reviewed as new taxonomic and conservation data become available.
Prepared by the Reptiles.ge editorial team from the sources listed here.
